That's because, under Iowa law, only those registered as a Republican, Democrat or Libertarian are eligible to vote.

That excludes 36 percent of Iowa voters who chose not to belong to any party.

They do have the option of switching to a party so they can vote, even on election day. But why should they have to? It's an unnecessary obstacle.

Our view is opening up Iowa's primaries to all voters regardless of party would encourage more people to vote and produce better candidates. Candidates who must appeal to a broader spectrum of voters, rather than just party loyalists.

Let's change the law to make it so all registered voters can cast a ballot in the primary regardless of whether they belong to a party or not.

And while we're at it, here's one more change we'd like to see.

Right now, if there are several candidates in a primary race, one must receive 35 percent of the vote to win. If not, the winner's chosen later by a small group of delegates at the party's state convention. And it could be the person they nominate isn't even one of the candidates who ran in the primary.

We think that's wrong.

Instead, Iowa should change to a runoff election system. Then if a candidate doesn't receive 35 percent of the vote, voters would choose between the top two primary candidates in a special election.

Let's continue to make Iowa's elections fairer, more open, and the true voice of the people.